Chocolate Pound Cake with Olive Oil Icing

This is a winner of a cake. Like an absolute, total, hands-down winner. A few ingredients, loads of healthy olive oil, magnesium-rich cacao and heaven in a mouthful! After visiting the olive groves at Cobram Estate last week I really wanted to try out an icing similar to one that the chef made for our carrot cake. I've always loved chocolate and olive oil together so it seemed fitting that I'd use it instead of water to make it!

Now I love robust and peppery olive oil however you aren't a fanatic like me, try your cake with less icing to start, then if you like the olive oil flavour coming through, add more! I use the entire amount of icing on my cake but Isaac prefers a little less icing on his pieces so just adjust how much you use according to your taste! You can also use as much or as little olive oil in the icing depending on the consistency you like. Use less olive oil to have a sweeter/milder taste that is thicker in consistency.

Ingredients for cake

1 cup cacao powder mixed until smooth with 2/3 cup boiling water

250mL extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups rapadura sugar

5 eggs

1 cup spelt flour

Ingredients for icing

3/4 cup icing sugar (I use Billington's unrefined icing sugar but regular is fine!)

2-3 tbs cacao or cocoa powder

1/3-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (mild/light flavoured if you prefer, you can use more or less than the amount I've mentioned here - it's all about your preference!)

Method

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius (fan-forced)

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine rapadura sugar and olive oil for 3 or so minutes until beginning to dissolve.

Add cacao/water mixture and combine. If the mixture splits, do not stress! Add your eggs in one at a time beating together, this will bring your batter back together :)

Add flour and beat for another minute or so until well combined.

Pour batter into a square cake pan lined with baking paper and bake for one hour or until a skewer comes out clean.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes until the edges come away from the pan then turn out onto a cooling rack until to cool completely.

In another bowl, combine your icing ingredients with a spoon, use less oil to begin with, tasting along the way and checking for the consistency you like. Once it's perfect, slather your cake with it and enjoy!